Supporting crank member for sliding doors



Feb. 27,, 951; (5. 5. BATH 2,543,155

SUPPORTING CRANK MEMBER FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed Sept. 23, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l law/e 07':

Feb. 2?, 1951 G. E. BATH 2,543,155

SUPPORTING CRANK MEMBER FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed Sept. 23, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F I um l/ A Patented Feb. 27, 195] U STATES PATENT QFFICE SUPPORTING CRANK MEMBERFOR SLIDING DOQRS George E. :lDath, jMokena, 111., assignor to W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in supporting crank members for sliding doors of containers, swingable inwardly toward the container wall to bring the door to closed position and swingable outwardly away from the container wall to withdraw the door from the door opening and position the same in spaced relation to the wall of the container for sliding movement along said wall.

One object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for preventing accidental swinging movement of crank members of the character indicated, inwardly toward the container when the door is positioned for sliding movement in spaced relation to the container wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door supporting crank member for a slidin door, journaled at its inner end on the door and having a crank pin at its outer end swingingly supported in a sliding carrier, wherein the crank pin has a threaded connection with the carrier effective to lower said crank member as the same is swung outwardly to a position at right angles to the door, whereby the weight of the door on said crank member effectively opposes swinging movement of the same inwardly toward the container wall, from said right angular position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supporting crank member for a sliding door,

which is adjustable vertically to raise or lower the door to properly align the latter with the door opening.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a supporting crank member for a sliding door of a container, having its inner end journaled on the door and having a crank pin at its outer end swingingly supported in a sliding carrier, wherein the crank pin end of the crank mem-- ber is connected to the carrier for vertical adjust ment by means of a vertically adjustable collar supporting said crank member at said crank pin end thereof, and having a threaded connection with the carrier, and wherein cooperating locking means is provided on said crank member and collar for maintaining the latter in its adjusted position.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a broken elevational view of one of the side walls of a railway car, provided with a door opening, and a sliding door, illustrating my improved supporting crank members in connection therewith. Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the lower left hand corner portion of Figure 1, illustrating the crank member at the front end portion of the door. Figure 3 is a top plan View of the crank member and the associated carrier shown in Figure 2. Figure 4. is a front elevational View of the crank member and carrier shown in Figure 2, partly broken away and on a still further enlarged scale, the central portion of the carrier and the cooperating portion of the crank member being shown in longitudinal vertical section. Figure 5 is a view, similar to Figure 4, showing the threaded adjusting sleeve of the improved crank member, in elevation. Figure 6 is a top plan view of the adjusting sleeve shown in Figure 5.

In said drawings, ill indicates the side Wall of a railway car, provided with a door opening ll, closed by a sliding door !.2. The door i2 is slidable on a track 13 secured to the side wall It below the door opening ii and extendin lengthwise of the car, by means of the usual carriers l=ii l. The door 12 is provided with the usual rotary operating bar it for forcing the door tightly into the door opening, the bar having keeper engaging means it cooperating with a fixed keeper ll mounted on the car wall it.

In carrying out my invention, I provide front and rear crank members A and .B for supporting the door on the carriers Hil l. Each crank member A and B comprises the usual crank arm it having a vertical shaft member Zll at its inner end, iournaled in a suitable bearing bracket, 'of well known design, mounted on the door. The bracket in which the shaft 2% of the front crank member A is journaled is indicated by 25 and the bracket in which the shaft Ell of the rear crank member 73 is journaled is indicated by .22. As is common practice, the rear bracket 22 also serves to rotatably support the operating bar i5. ,As is common practice in door mechanisms of the character illustrated, the bar l5 has ageared connection with the shaft 23 of the rear crank member 13 for transmitting intermittent rotary movement to the same to coordinate the movements of this crank member and the keeper engaging means of the bar in forcing the door into and out of the door opening.

The crank arm it of each crank member A and B is provided with a depending crank pin 23 at its outer end, extending into a cylindrical sleeve 26, which is rotatably supported in the corresponding carrier i l. The sleeve 24 is provided with external threads 25 engaged with internal threads 26 on a cylindrical socket member 21 formed integral with the carrier M, as

clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. At the upper end, the sleeve 24 carries an enlarged head 28 of hexagonal shape on which the crank pin end of the arm I8 of the crank member rests. The sleeve 24 i locked to the arm I8, for rotation therewith, by a depending lug 29 on said arm engaging one of the fiat faces of the hexagonal head 28 of said sleeve. As shown in Figures 2, l, and 5, which illustrate the crank member A at the left hand end of the door shown in Figure 1, the cooperating threads 25 and 26 are left handed so that, when the arm l8 of the crank member A swings away from the position shown in Figure 3, that is, in contra-clockwise direction, the sleeve 24 travels downwardly in the socket 2! to lower the door [2 slightly. Thus, when the crank member A reaches its extended position at right angles to the car wall, the weight of the door tends to maintain the arm in that position until forcibly swung inwardly, thereby preventing accidental displacement of the door inwardly toward the car wall during the sliding movement of the same to fully open position away from the door opening and back to position in front of said opening. When the crank member A is forcibly swung inwardly from its extended right angular position, toward the position shown in Figure 1, the sleeve 24 will screw upwardly in the socket 21, thus, lifting the door to bring it into accurate alignment with the door opening.

To adjust the height of the door 2 to properly enter the opening, that is, to raise or lower the same, as required, the door [2 is first lifted upwardly to disengage the lug 29 of the crank arm !8 of the crank member A from the hexagonal head 28 of the sleeve 24 and thereby unlock the sleeve for rotation about the crank pin 23. To adjust the door upwardly, the sleeve 24 is then turned the proper distance to the right and then locked in that position with respect to the r crank pin of the crank arm i8 by engaging the lug 29 with the corresponding face of the hexagonal head 28 of the sleeve by permitting the door to drop to its lowered position, with the arm [8 resting on top of the head 28 of the sleeve. To adjust the door (2 downwardly, the operation is the same with the exception that the sleeve 24 is turned to the left.

The construction and design of the crank member B at the right hand end of the door is identical with that of the crank member A, with the exception that the adjustable threaded sleeve thereof nd the cooperating threaded socket of the corresponding carrier have right hand threads so that the sleeve will travel downwardly in the socket when the arm is swung outwardly or in right hand direction, and travel upwardly when the same is swung inwardly, or in left hand direction.

I claim:

1. In a crank mechanism for supporting the sliding door of a container on sliding carrier means, the combination with a crank arm journaled on the door at its inner end; of an internally threaded socket in said carrier means; a crank pin at the outer end of said arm extending into said socket; a threaded sleeve mounted on said crank pin in threaded engagement with the internal threads of said socket; and means for locking said sleeve to the crank arm for rotation in unison therewith.

2. In a crank mechanism for supporting the sliding door of a container on sliding carrier means, the combination with a crank arm journaled on the door at its inner end; of an internally threaded socket in said carrier means; a depending crank pin at the outer end of said arm; an externally threaded sleeve on said crank pin in threaded engagement with the internal threads of said socket; and 2. lug on said arm having shouldered engagement with said sleeve for locking the same to the crank pin for rotation in unison therewith.

3. In a crank mechanism for supporting the sliding door of a container on sliding carrier means, the combination with a crank arm journaled on the door at its inner end; of an internally threaded socket in said carrier means; a

depending crank pin on the outer end of said arm; an externally threaded sleeve threaded into said socket, said crank pin extending into said sleeve; and a lug on said arm having shouldered engagement with the sleeve to lock the same to said crank pin for rotation in unison therewith.

4. In a crank mechanism for supporting the sliding door of a container on sliding carrier means, the combination with a crank arm journaled on the door at its inner end; of an internally threaded socket in said carrier means; a depending crank pin on the outer end of said arm; an externally threaded sleeve threaded into said socket, said crank pin extending into said sleeve with the crank arm resting on top of the sleeve; and a depending lug on said arm interlocked with said sleeve with the arm resting on the latter to lock the sleeve to said crank pin for rotation in unison therewith, said arm, when lifted, disengagin said lug from said sleeve to permit rotation of the sleeve on said pin for threaded adjustment of said sleeve in said socket.

GEORGE E. DATH.

CES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 583,536 Masters June 1, 1897 2,150,199 Weston Mar. 14, 1939 2,453,793 Hveem Nov. 16, 1948 

